Best Canadian Live Casinos
Not Available to players in the Province of Ontario.
The Best Canadian Live Casinos online are located outside of Canadian territories. There's a vast range of legal live dealer casinos offering table games on a 24x7 basis.
Under current Canadian Legislation, it's not illegal to play at remote online casinos. It is, however, illegal for a Canadian Casino to operate without a license.
Gambling in Canada does exist, but it tends to be land-based. The Federal Government and, more locally, the ten provinces and territories regulate Casinos and Gambling operations.
For some reason, online gaming is not mature in Canada, so the only option is to play at remote-hosted online casinos.
However, you shouldn't just play anywhere just because it looks good.
I've put together this guide to answer the most common questions Canadians have about playing online.
Hopefully, I'll get you playing at the best and most trustworthy casinos.
The International Comparative Legal Guide (ICLG) gives a really good detailed summary of the Gambling Regulation in Canada.
I'd encourage you to read this if you're in any way unsure.
Which are the Best Canadian Live Casinos?
The Canadian Provinces & Territories (Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Northwest Territories, Nunavut & Yukon), all have their own responsibilities for regulating gambling.
As far as Regulated Canadian online Live Casinos only one Province, British Columbia has a resident Live Casino studio. This is supplied by leading live casino software provider Evolution Gaming.
From this studio, located in the Metro Vancouver area, only British Colombian residents can play through the British Columbia Lottery Corporation casino website, Playnow.com.
Outside of this, all other citizens can play at hundreds of online casinos.
The list below represents the best live dealer casino that Canadians can play. These are the only ones I'd recommend.
FAQ's for Gambling in Canada
While Gambling in Canada is heavily regulated there are loads of opportunities if you fancy a gamble.
The most popular include the playing of lotteries and visiting Land Based Casinos. Most provinces & territories of Canada offer both of these.
Is it legal for Canadian citizens to gamble online?
In a word YES.
Gambling offered by Canadian companies from within Canada has to be Licensed. For some reason, there are very few online Canadian casinos located in Canada.
The alternative is for Canadians to gamble online at casinos located offshore. While this isn't illegal, it can be tricky finding trustworthy ones.
If you are in any doubt, please refer to the Canadian Criminal Code, which provides details on what is and isn't illegal.
There are no specific restrictions on Canadian players playing at online casinos that are based overseas.
Is there any protection for players while playing online?
Player protection is a moot point. I'd like to say that if you're playing at a casino that is licensed and regulated you're going to be protected when something goes wrong.
The truth is it really depends on the Casino and the licensing body.
As a player from Canada if you're playing at a remote casino you have no Canadian Regulator to fall back on.
If you experience issues my advice would be to use an Arbitration Service or one of the well-known player forums like Casinomeister.
How will I know if an online casino is safe to play?
I'd like to say that if you use a review website like this one you'll find a decent casino to play at.
But, like all things you need to do a bit of research yourself, just to make sure.
- Google the casino name plus the term "rogue" or "complaints" or "untrustworthy" or "criminal". See what comes back. You'll most likely see threads in forums, so go to those and see when the posts were made. Also, ask for some advice, it's free!
- Another good tell is where the casino is licensed. If they are licensed in the UK, Alderney, Malta, Gibraltar, or the Isle of Man they are operating on a good foundation.
All the casinos I recommend with Live Dealer games accept Canadian players. All these are also regulated by the UK Government and I play at them often.
What Live Casino Games are available to Canadian Citizens?
We're at a point now where Live Casino games are now considered mainstream.
No longer do you get shitty streaming and the selection of games is almost as good as you'd get in a land-based casino.
In fact, I'd go as far as saying the selection is better, you don't have to contend with crowds to get to the tables and you're totally in control.
As for games, this is what you can expect to find:
Games List
- Live Roulette - The most popular table game, comes in American and European formats. You can play on tables in studios or stream from land-based casinos worldwide. Specialist games like Lightning Roulette are taking the casinos by storm.
- Blackjack - There are two main versions of this popular card game. 7 Seat (as the name implies there are seven seats at the table), Infinite/Unlimited/Common Draw - where one hand is played by an unlimited number of players. The games are either played to Vegas or European Rules, you'll find side bets at most tables.
- Poker derived games - Casino Hold'em, Ultimate Texas Holdem, Texas Holdem Bonus Poker, Caribbean Stud Poker, 3 Card Brag, and 3 Card Poker. These are all based on the hand rankings in poker. With all games, you play against the dealer, not other players. Some of these games come with an additional Progressive Jackpot.
- Baccarat - This very popular Asian Game comes in different formats including player & dealer-controlled Squeeze. You'll find the odd table with a progressive jackpot.
- Dragon /Tiger - Another popular Asian Card Game with A Hi-Lo Format. Hi-Lo & Football Studio is the European version.
- Dice Games - Sic Bo and Super Sic Bo are the options, the latter comes with random Payout multipliers.
- Wheel of Fortunes - A new bred of the game and becoming more popular. Dream Catcher, Dream Catcher Special Edition, and Spin a Win are the most popular. Dream Catcher Special Edition comes with an RNG bonus round that has huge win potentials.
Can you play using Canadian Dollars?
CAD's are accepted at most online casinos, so you’ll not have to worry about exchange rates. You should be able to Deposit & Withdraw in Canadian dollars.
What are the best methods for Depositing & Withdrawing?
The most popular methods are Debit & Credit Card, followed closely by Web Wallets. Web Wallets normally receive withdrawals quicker than you're bank account.
For that reason, I use a Web Wallet (Neteller) so I get my withdrawal under my control as soon as I can. I'm then able to transfer to my Bank Account anytime I want.
All of the online Casinos have a full list of the payment methods they accept.
They are tailored so you'll only see ones that can be used by Canadians.
There's more detailed information on the most popular methods for depositing and withdrawing.
As a Canuk, Will I have to pay Taxes on my Online Live Casino winnings?
There's great news. Canadians do not have to pay taxes on Gambling Winnings. What you win is yours to keep, all of it!
This article gives a great rundown of the tax landscape for Canuk Gamblers.
Which Live Casino Providers are available to Players from Canada?
Fortunately, as there are no licensing restrictions in place, all live casino providers can offer their games to Canadian table games players.
Evolution Gaming
If you're playing live casino games online, you're very likely playing at the tables provided by Evolution Gaming.
They have the most games of any provider. The current count is 16. They have the highest quality streams and the slickest game user interfaces.
Some say they have become too large and have lost that personal touch.
However, they are a trendsetter in the industry. They are the first to develop new games, as we've seen recently with the very popular Monopoly Dram Catcher and Super Sic Bo.
You can't go wrong at an Evolution table.
The Studios are located mainly in Europe and there is a studio in Canada and one in New Jersey USA. The last two are restricted to players in British Columbia and New Jersey.
Ezugi
Ezugi has recently been purchased by Evolution Gaming and will continue as a brand in its own right.
They offer a good selection of games (Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Casino Holdem), and in my opinion, have the Best Blackjack game of all the providers.
Playtech
If you get the chance I thoroughly recommend the games from Playtech. They have kept in step with Evolution and are concentrating more on the gaming experience they can bring to the table.
You'll find Blackjack, Roulette, Baccarat, Dragon/Tiger, Casino Hold'em, 3 Card Brag, Spin a Win, Sic Bo, and Hi-Lo.
They have both Asian and European Studios, so you'll have options depending on the playing experience you're after.
Authentic Gaming
Authentic Gaming only provides Live Roulette streams. These are from either Land Based Casinos from around the world or their dedicated studio in Malta.
You'll get to play at some of the most exclusive casinos including Aspers in London and Foxwoods in the USA.
My personal favourite is the Royal Casino in Denmark.
Luckystreak
LuckyStreak is not the biggest solution provider. What they lack in infrastructure they more than make up for with the experience you get at the tables.
The dealers are unique and they make the most of that.
Game-wise, you'll be able to play Blackjack, Roulette, and Baccarat.
Portomaso Gaming
Portomaso Gaming has its base in Malta at the Portomaso Land Based Casino. They are one of the providers who are expanding quickly. Their USP is their live-streamed tables from the Oracle & Portomaso Casinos.
Their studio based tables are also located within the casino, so you get a more authentic feel about the games. Blackjack, Roulette & Baccarat make up the game choices.
The list above covers the most common Software providers, a longer list can be found here.
What do the best Canadian Live Casinos have in Common?
The answer is subjective and I'll do my best to answer this as fully as possible.
The best casinos should give you the best playing experience and enjoyment.
If you're not getting either then you're probably playing at the wrong place.
These are my tops tips. All the casinos I recommend have the following in common.
- Variety of games. As long as the casino has the game you want that's all you need. The Casino that offers a few varieties and providers is a better option because you get a Choice.
- Casinos with dedicated tables can offer on table promotions and other incentives for playing. Always go for a casino that has dedicated tables.
- A variety of Table limits. Not everyone is a high roller, so the best casinos cater to players with all sorts of stake requirements. A casino offering really low stakes suggest to me they are as focused on low-value players as they are on the more wealthy ones, which is a good thing.
- It's no surprise that the best casinos always have the best customer support. If you can't chat with support or they have difficulty helping you - run a mile!.
- Quick Payments and verification processes. These are two things on the top of my list. If I win I want my money, they are quick to take it when I lose. I know I have to verify myself, so it needs to be a quick process, not something that takes days and days.
Information on Gambling controls in Canada
The Legal gambling age in Quebec and Alberta is 18. In British Columbia, you need to be at least 19 to Gamble.
There are a number of Canadian institutions that provide support and guidance to gamblers.
The Responsible Gambling Council provides a comprehensive advice and support guide for all Canadian gamblers. It's a one-stop-shop, I thoroughly recommend you visit the site and browse around.
We shouldn't lose sight that gambling is meant to be fun. When the fun stops, it's an indicator that you may have a gambling problem.
If you're not sure what this means, or maybe what it looks like here are a few warning signs to look out for.
- You're gambling more than you can afford to lose.
- If you're borrowing money to gamble.
- You're spending more time gambling than with your family.
- You've lost interest in doing your favourite things.
- You start to lie about your gambling,
- You chase your losses.
- You're having arguments with your close ones about gambling.
- You feel anxious, worried, or guilty about your gambling.
If you're considering Gambling then here are a few basic rules you should try to adhere to:
- Set yourself a budget and stick to it.
- Don't chase your losses.
- Don't gamble when you're unhappy or under the influence of drink or drugs.
The best online live casino operators all have Responsible Gambling controls in place. These allow you to:
- Set playtime reminders,
- Set deposit, win, and loss limits.
- Allow you to self exclude from playing, either for a short period or permanently.
I'd encourage you to use them.
Setting deposit limits, i.e how much I can deposit over a particular time frame has helped me control how much I spend on gambling online.
Once you've set the limits at all your favourite casinos it protects you from yourself, especially if you're on tilt from a losing session.
